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Posts: 349
| I recently came about a heavy swimbait bass rod that I want to modify for muskies. It is a fenwick elite tech 7'9" mh fast action rated either 1-3 oz or 1-4 I'm not sure. The handle is very short which doesn't bother me and from reel seat to tip it's actually longer than my 8'6" rod. It's super light and overall a very nice rod. The problem is I don't bass fish and the tip is way too soft for muskie baits!!
I'm thinking of trimming 3-6 inches off the tip to stiffen it up a bit and and then I could hopefully use it for gliders, wtd topwaters, and other jerkbaits. My other rods are 8'6" and 9' so a shorter rod would be great to add to the arsenal.
Is cutting off some of the tip actually a viable option? And am I correct to assume it will give the rod a heavier power and faster action? Will doing this be harmful at all?
I will say that taking the rod to a custom builder is not going to be an option. I don't have money to spend on this and I'm just looking to see if I can do this myself for free.
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Posts: 210
Location: VA | TS,
I am a custom builder.
Cutting the rod at the tip is surely good for what you're wanting. Cutting will give the rod more power, but it will NOT make the rod faster action, it will make the rod slower in action. The more you cut from the tip, the slower the action and the more power the rod will have. Cut 1" or so at a time, test the rod and cut again test again and cut again until you are where you want to be. 1" can change a rod a LOT. So cut short sections several times to be sure to get what you want. If you go too far all in one cut, you cant go back!
The only harm you can do is to void the rods warranty. You could butcher it and damage the rod as well..... but if you're careful, use the RIGHT tools, you will be just fine.
Use a dremel tool with a THIN diamond cutting blade on med-high speed. Tape off the blank where you want the cut to be on the "keep this end" side and ever so slowly bring the rod to the dremel. Turn the ROD cutting completely around the blank while the dremel is stationary. The blade on the dremel only needs to go into the blank 1/32nd of an inch or less. This makes a nice clean cut. Dont breathe the dust from the cutting, wear a mask.
PM me if I can help answer any questions.
DR |
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Posts: 908
Location: South-Central PA | DR in VA - 3/8/2011 7:32 PM
TS,
I am a custom builder.
Cutting the rod at the tip is surely good for what you're wanting. Cutting will give the rod more power, but it will NOT make the rod faster action, it will make the rod slower in action. The more you cut from the tip, the slower the action and the more power the rod will have. Cut 1" or so at a time, test the rod and cut again test again and cut again until you are where you want to be. 1" can change a rod a LOT. So cut short sections several times to be sure to get what you want. If you go too far all in one cut, you cant go back!
The only harm you can do is to void the rods warranty. You could butcher it and damage the rod as well..... but if you're careful, use the RIGHT tools, you will be just fine.
Use a dremel tool with a THIN diamond cutting blade on med-high speed. Tape off the blank where you want the cut to be on the "keep this end" side and ever so slowly bring the rod to the dremel. Turn the ROD cutting completely around the blank while the dremel is stationary. The blade on the dremel only needs to go into the blank 1/32nd of an inch or less. This makes a nice clean cut. Dont breathe the dust from the cutting, wear a mask.
PM me if I can help answer any questions.
DR
Great advice!
jeremy |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | why not sell that rod and use that money to buy a rod you will actually use/like? |
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | I would sell it & buy a musky rod. Those Fenwick Elite Tech rods are too nice & expensive ($150 & up) to be cutting them up. You should be able to get around $100 if it's in good shape.
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Posts: 349
| "Why not sell it and buy a new one?"
Right now I have a $200 rod. If I sell it and replace it, then I will have a $100 rod. Why not modify it to the action, length, and power that I want and then I have a $200 "custom" rod. |
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Posts: 210
Location: VA | Again, the action will only get more moderate/slower the more you cut. The action of a blank cannot be changed into a "faster" action by cutting.
DR |
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Posts: 908
Location: South-Central PA | tswoboda - 3/9/2011 12:13 AM
"Why not sell it and buy a new one?"
Right now I have a $200 rod. If I sell it and replace it, then I will have a $100 rod. Why not modify it to the action, length, and power that I want and then I have a $200 "custom" rod.
Are you willing to run the risk of ruining your 'custom' rod? Why not have it done by a competent custom builder?
jeremy |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | I would not cut off 6" from the tip, now U will loose 2-3 rod line eyes, rods are built on the blank spine and the eyes are place on the blank to match the bend/spine of the rod. U can ext. the rod handle, but don't cut off the tip. Best advice sell the rod and take the $$$ and buy want U want, T/I rods are $110.00 call James and he will fix U right up. |
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Posts: 375
| i went through the same thing a couple years back. I had keith at pro edge rods build me a couple of customs out of the croix legend mega swimbait blanks. they were great rods out of the tube and super light weight compared to other musky rods out there today. after using them for a season i found the top end was just a bit too soft for the baits that i ended up throwing the most with them. so i contacted st. croix directly and told them i was considering cutting some off the top to "adjust" the action. i actually was able to discuss this with a live person at st. croix who told me that he would get back to me after he went down into the manufacturing area of the plant and get one of those blanks in his hands. within the hour he got back to me and was able to tell me exactly what would happen to the action of my rods if i cut one inch, two inches, three inches off. as it turned out on that blank to get what i wanted out of it, closer to the three inch was right for my needs. he suggested exactly what dr in va above said about how to cut the blank properly. the morals of the story are don't cut too much off to begin with...you can always remove the top guide and cut a bit at a time off until you get the action that you want to acheive and if you are going to buy new consider st. croix since if need to, you can easily get their expert opinion on anything concerning their rods with a phonecall to their plant right here in the u.s.a. |
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Posts: 210
Location: VA | Rod blanks are rarely (if ever today) built on spline by major companys. They are built on the STRAIGHTEST AXIS. Spline is considered by many as useless once the guides are laid onto the blank. Others argue, and so goes the coversation of spline that can go on forever.
I've cut my fair share of blanks, some costing over $300 before any hardware was even added. Sometimes cutting to get what you want is a good thing, just remember that you ALWAYS void the manufactures warranty when you cut ANY part of any rod or blank.
DR |
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Posts: 349
| Thanks for all the info guys. I will probably call Fenwick to see if I can get any information on how cutting the tip will affect the rod, thanks for the advice stushsky. Glad I posted here because I didn't realize just 1" can make that big of a difference but I can assure you I will be cutting 1" at a time now. Sounds like 6" would be way too extreme so thanks a lot DR.
And to those who keep telling me to sell what I have and buy something else.. I'm not really into the whole selling and replacing everything. I'd rather take what I have and learn how to make it work for me. Also I'm in Fargo and it is not easy to sell fishing stuff locally here, I've tried before and it was basically a waste of time. I don't want to deal with shipping a rod it's just hassle and I'd like to spend my time doing other things.
There's no way I could replace the quality of this rod with the $100 it would most likely sell for.
I'm not taking it to a custom rod builder because I'm in college and already spend enough money on my hobbies. I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap. |
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Rod Modification